In view of the current political administration’s increased attention on institutions of higher education and threats to rhetoric emphasizing DEI in colleges’ policies, Haverford College has updated select policies regarding expressive freedom, doxxing, civil rights protections, and social media. The Honor Code has also undergone emergency interim changes, which will be discussed further with the entire student body at a Special Plenary next fall, to ensure that the Code remains a document constructed by and for the whole community.
Core Values
President Wendy Raymond sent out an email to the Haverford community on the night of April 23 outlining the recent updates, beginning with a new articulation of Haverford’s “core values,” as per the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on Freedom of Expression, Learning, and Community.
“No other college or university offers a learning and living experience like Haverford, where students have unparalleled opportunities to shape their own path and collaborate in community,” she wrote in preface. The re-articulated core values are as follows: Academic Excellence and Open Inquiry, Freedom of Expression, Inclusion and Belonging for All, Ethical Inquiry and Leadership, and Sustainability and the Natural Environment.
Revision to Policy on Expressive Freedom and Responsibility
The interim revision to the Policy on Expressive Freedom and Responsibility explains that free expression is a core value at Haverford but should not impede on the campus’s ability to “foster a community of mutual trust, concern, and respect.” The policy highlights that this applies to current students, faculty and College-sponsored guests. Anyone who does not identify as such is unable to participate in expressive activities on campus such as protests and teach-ins.
Students who fail to follow the policy at Haverford may face disciplinary processes at Haverford. This policy also covers electronic resources such as a college email or a Haverford social media account. Additionally, the policy stands if students violate policies at other universities such as the institutions within the Quaker Consortium. The policy does not apply to Haverford College’s own expressive activities.
Anti-Doxxing Policy
A new anti-doxxing policy, “effective immediately” will now require that community members log in to access the College directory. This announcement comes following an email sent on April 16 laying out new restrictions of public access to pages identifying contact information of faculty, staff, or students.
Haverford in Solidarity with AAUP
Raymond also announced that earlier this month, Haverford College signed on to the Presidents’ Alliance amicus brief in the AAUP v. Rubio case that challenges visa revocations and arrests of noncitizen students. Additionally, Raymond’s name was signed to a public letter from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) “calling for constructive engagement between higher education and the current administration,” which includes the signatures of the Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore College presidents as well.
Senior Staff and President Raymond will be open to feedback through an anonymous form linked in her email, open to Haverford College community members until May 31.
Changes to the Honor Code
As for the announced changes to The Honor Code, which are not traditionally made without student consensus at a plenary, Raymond wrote that the Honor Council Co-Chairs and Students’ Council Co-presidents have worked with administration in order to make sure the Honor Code complies with “federal and state legal frameworks.” These new changes will go into effect on May 20. However, a Special Plenary will be held during the coming fall semester in order to revise the Honor Code as a collective community.
Honor Council Co-Chair Caroline Yao ’27 and Luke Smithberg ’25 sent a follow-up email to the student body later that night elaborating on the reason for these changes to the Code “As the college faces increasing scrutiny from the federal government, we recently worked with Deans McKnight and Wojciechowski to conduct a legal review of the Honor Code,” they wrote. “In consultation, we have been made aware of certain sections of the Code, most significantly the Social Code, that are not in alignment with current federal guidance, which we must reconcile in order to protect the Honor Code and its place at Haverford as a whole. The sections that have been flagged include those that explicitly discuss discrimination, privilege, and marginalization.”
To assuage any concern surrounding the overriding of constitutional procedure for revisions to the Code, the Co-Chairs continued, “we want to assure you that we strongly believe that the college administration has no intention of making permanent changes to the Code without student input, or subverting student agency in the long run.” The email noted that Yao and Smithberg will be holding office hours on April 30, from 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. in VCAM 102 for anyone who would like to discuss the matter further.
